Out of the two Wii titles that NIS America has upcoming, I am most looking forward to Sakura Wars, but sadly, the game was not quite ready to show off. So it was not mechs and girls at my disposal when I took up the Wii Remote, but the ghostly characters of Phantom Brave: We Meet Again.

Ugly Monsters Galore

For those of you that played the PlayStation 2 version of this game, you should be very familiar with everything you'll see here... because it's almost all exactly the same. The combat, story, and voice actors are returning, though to the game's credit, the graphics are a little sharper. A quick rundown for those that haven't played the original, this is a tactical RPG in which you have to confine the souls of characters into objects throughout the stage to bring them into combat. From there the movement system is free roaming within a set range with attacks also having a range of their own. The system is unique for anyone that has not played the original.

The additional story added to the Wii version is called Another Marona. The opening starts with everyone in the world dying followed by a black screen and the words "The End," however, you still have more to play. I attempted the first battle and was mercilessly slaughtered. I'm sure it was due to the fact that I was not extremely familiar with all of the ins-and-outs of combat, but regardless, it was rough. If you're a fan of Nippon Ichi tactical RPGs and missed out on Phantom Brave the first time around, you can remedy that this August.